Interesting facts about Cicada

"Cicada" comes from the Latin, meaning "tree cricket." While cicadas are often colloquially referred to as a kind of locust, they are not part of the locust family.

How many species are there?

There are about 3,000 known species of cicada worldwide,There are annual cicadas, which appear every year, and periodical cicadas.

What do they eat?

For the most part, cicadas subsist on the fluids of living trees.

What are their predators?

Take your pick: birds, small mammals, spiders and other insects, such as ants.

What happens in the 13 or 17 years that periodical cicadas live underground?

In America Latin : The 13- or 17-year life cycle of a periodical cicada begins when an adult female cicada lays her eggs in slits she cuts in the twigs and branches of trees. When the eggs hatch, they nymphs or juveniles drop to the ground and burrow into the soil. The growing cicada then spends the next 13 to 17 years underground as a nymph.

Juvenile cicadas live at depths of 30 centimetres or more and subsist on the juices of plant roots until the final year. When the soil temperature reaches about 18 degrees Celsius, they burrow their way to the surface. They then climb a tree, where they shed their nymphal skin and emerge as adults.

How long do the adults live?

Once they rise from the soil, these cicadas live for four to six weeks. Their time above ground is spent mating and avoiding predators.

How significant will this year's cicada population be?

the population density of periodical cicadas could range from tens of thousands to as high as 1.5 million insects per acre this year (or about 3.7 million per hectare).

Are they attracted to other summer sounds, like lawnmowers?

According to Cicadamania.com, cicadas will gravitate to other noisy summer objects, like lawnmowers, because female cicadas mistake them for singing males, and male cicadas will follow in order to continue wooing the females.